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[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

I Hate Cell Phones...

I'm in my last few months of my contract with At&T, (now cellular)...and not too soon either either! I am totally displeased with the provider in all aspects.

At first I was fine with the service, good amount of minutes for $29.00 per month, which comes to about $37.00 after all the taxes and fees. Thieving bastards!

Then I started getting an inordinate amount of dropped calls about a year into my mandatory two year contract. I mean the calls would drop within the first minute of conversation, regardless where I would be. And then it would go from roaming to no service and back to normal mode all within a two minute period.

Calling the company was useless. They would re-set the phone, (A motorola flip), and it would be ok for awhile, but then it would start the nonsense all over again. They told me that this particular type of phone, (Digital), is obsolete and that I would have to upgrade to the next generation of phone, a Gmode or something like that. I said, ok...when will you send me a replacement? They balked at that and told me that I would have to re-contract with them, of course at a higher price rate, but get a free phone! I balked...

I told them, why am I penalized for your crappy phone with poor signal service, but yet forced to pay the monthly fees and get hit with a $200.00 fine if I drop the service before the contract expires. Hell, I can't even carry on a normal conversation without it dropping the call. They offered me more minutes to compensate, and offered to reset my phone when it acted up again.

So, for the past six months, I have been resetting the phone via tech service phone call at least once a month. One guy said that perhaps the antenna is not getting the signal out to the towers. So, I open up the phone and examine the antenna contacts. I crimp them tighter and solder a wire from the antenna to the contacts. It does help it a lot, but it does not totally solve the problem.

My first cell phone was a thief as well, MCI WorldCom. Even before I received the phone in the mail, I got a $40.00 for service I did not use. I refused to pay, and kept the $40.00 perpetually off my payments.

My contract expires in August 2005, and I am searching around for a better provider. They all blow, but perhaps you have a better company you would recommend that I would despise less.

[Oscar]

I Understand this is your website, but isn't cell phones just a little bit off topic? If someone else had posted this I would hope that is the response you would give. By the way - my car has been acting up lately.

[jglover]

Well, since this is an off=topic forum, my guess is anything is appropriate here....within reason of course!

BTW Joe, I've been quite happy with Cingular as far as reliable service goes. We have Nextels at work and while the coverage seems good downtown, Nextel seems to be lacking in the rest of the state if you venture off the expressways.

[Centaur]

Oscar said:

I Understand this is your website, but isn't cell phones just a little bit off topic? If someone else had posted this I would hope that is the response you would give. By the way - my car has been acting up lately.

The heading for this section of the message board is: Put the telescope away...It's Astronomy Free here! It must not have been apparent to you that this is the Off Topic forum.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Oscar oleman,

Sometimes, we have subjects that "just don't fit" in the normal boards, and upon extended requests for a off-topic section, this area was created for just that. It can be for whatever is on your mind, bad marriage...high gas prices...ignorant retailers, cheap booze, what ever. It does have an indirect connection with our astronomical endeavors, as whatever goes on during the day, also impacts our nighttime activities.

And, as when we get together for mini star parties, it conversation isn't always on astronomy. And so, similar behavior is reflected here. It will be a small part of the forum, but I think it's a good idea.

So go ahead, unload, we are all listening. Now, what's the matter with your car?

[Maddad]

Joe,
Like one of the other posters, I've had excellent luck with Cingular. No problems of any kind, and I'm still using the old format cell phone, the one they want you to upgrade from at your cost to solve their problem.

I'd tell them that a contract is a contract. They either deliver reasonably trouble-free celluar service, or they have breached that contract and you owe them no further money. If they wuffle at you, fill out a small claims form listing your complaint and send it to them by certified mail. Your damages are the $200 contract fee at least, if not a portion of the $29 a month they have been charging you so far. You do not need to actually file the case.

The object is not to go to court with them. You'll both lose because that costs time and aggravation, even though technically you would win the suit. The object is to make them make the business decision to appease you rather that expend the time, money, and aggravation of going to court themselves.

You might want to ask in the small claims form why NASA can hear the Huygens lander 1,800,000 kilometers away on Titan which operates with the power of a cell phone, but you can't hear your neighbor across the street.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

You might want to ask in the small claims form why NASA can hear the Huygens lander 1,800,000 kilometers away on Titan which operates with the power of a cell phone, but you can't hear your neighbor across the street.

Hehe heh.... ;D

My smile of the day.

[jglover]

maddad said:

Joe,
Like one of the other posters, I've had excellent luck with Cingular. No problems of any kind, and I'm still using the old format cell phone, the one they want you to upgrade from at your cost to solve their problem.

My wife had Verizon and their coverage areas were excellent and the service was on par with Cingular, however, we ported her phone over to Cingular as they offered a better two line rate deal with more minutes than we will ever use during the life of the contract.

[Rocketman]

Can I gripe too? I love griping! It's so much fun. I'm in a good mood at the moment, and can't think of anything other than the clouds royally pissing me off! Sigh..

I'm sure I'll think of something, soon.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

I'm so confused!... ???

John, what kind of phone are you using?

My contract expires in August, and I must make a decision pretty soon.

Anymore experiemces or preferences out there?

I just may have to remain with Cingular... :P

Grady...

Gripe away..!

[Rocketman]

Cingular sucks around here. Actually, a lot of things suck here. Cingular is just one of them. Alltel however is pretty good. Not one dropped call.

[jglover]

admin said:

I'm so confused!... ???

John, what kind of phone are you using?

My contract expires in August, and I must make a decision pretty soon.

Joe,

I've got a Siemens S54, one of their midrange phones. I think I paid about $40 for the phone after a $50 rebate. So far, I've not had any problems with dropped calls, either when at work in the Loop or out here in the burbs. My wife has an LG flip of some kind, it is LG's entry level flip phone. she's not complained either of any problems with dropped calls but then she does not use her phone as much as I use mine.

Oddly enough, the Nextel they issued me at work seems to have the most trouble getting service in the Loop but I think that is due to network volume as opposed to anything else. I work across the street from the CBOT and it seems EVERYONE over there has a Nextel! :)

John

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

In my daily news feeds, I came across this interesting post:

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A few months ago I aquired the Motorola v265 to replace my old junker cellphone. It’s one of the cheaper Verizon phones but had a fairly decent feature list. Another deciding factor was that it has a mostly-black hull rather than the typical silver.

Although it has a camera built-in, the quality of the pictures is terrible. I’d relate the image quality to a cheap 1990’s Logitech webcam. But since I have a digital camera and rarely take pictures with my phone, it was mostly a non-issue. The nicest feature of the phone is the excellent audio quality, both speech and music. Motorola produced the phone with the capability to play custom MP3’s of your choice.

Unfortunately, Verizon cripples their phones so that you have to use their fee-based service (profit!) in order to add new ringtones, or to transfer the pictures you take with the camera. The Verizon logo conceals the date display on the main screen and covers over the top portion of the background, among various other corporate sillyness. Selling a device that is intentionally crippled is just plain ridiculous!

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I knew it, I just knew it! This article goes on to explain on how to defeat the imposed limitation with a little know how and a soldering gun. The replies also go on about other providers and the manner they "cripple" phones intentionally.

Thieves...all of them....

[Centaur]

I had been avoiding the purchase of a cell phone. But I recently relented due to possible emergencies on the road or a lock-out from my apartment. I signed up with TracFone and received a relatively simple Nokia device at no cost because I had made an initial purchase of 40 minutes of airtime. It has more bells and whistles than I actually need and no displays are blocked. Although more sophisticated hardware is available at cost. Best of all, I only pay in advance for whatever number of minutes I desire - no monthly bills or setup costs. The phone warns when the available minutes are getting low. Then I simply buy more airtime over the internet or from a retailer such as Walgreen's. When calling TracFone for assistance, they have been most helpful. I am extremely pleased.

My stepfather began recommending TracFone to me after he switched from Verizon. However, it wasn't until after he died in January and I was going through his possesions that I was reminded of his TracFone. I actually gave that phone to a nephew who was in need. But that was of no loss to me since TracFone sent me a free phone anyway when I signed up. On their website they imply that the free phone offer will only continue for a limited time, but they seem to keep extending that time.

For info on TracFone, click:

www.tracfone.com/home_page.jsp?b=i&flash=YES&p=W

[Rocketman]

That's what I use. It's actually called simplefreedom. I just buy a card when I need more minutes.

[Maddad]

I've completely dropped my land line and keep a cell phone in my pocket at all times. It's on the night table next to me when I sleep, and on the floor next to the tub when I bathe. I don't use it much, but I've gotten used to always having it no matter where I am.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Can Cell Phones Can Damage your Eyes?...

I'm sure you've read dozens of stories about how our cell phones could be dangerous to our health, causing brain tumors for example. But so far, there is not a definitive answer.

But now, according to IsraCast, a team of Israeli researchers has discovered that the microwave radiation used by our cell phones could destroy our eyes by causing two kinds of damages to our visual system, including an irreversible one. If the researchers are right, and even if you only occasionally use your cell phone, the lenses in your eyes can suffer from microscopic damages that won't heal themselves over time. Now, let's wait until another scientific team says it's not true.

More here: www.primidi.com/2005/07/27.html

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Even if it's true, we won't give them up.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Cell Phone Update

I dropped Cingular in September 2005 after the criminals wouldn't fix my phone, upgrade my service or cancel my contract. I did this in the fall after a billing discussion over the phone thru my landline...as my cell wouldn't/couldn't handle the call. I asked if my contract could be canceled a month early, as I was terribly unsatisfied and unhappy at the service. I know of others who have had their contracts canceled early as a courtesy...but oh no....not here! I could cancel it, the customer representative said, but I would incur the $200.00 penalty...

No matter how much I relayed the poor service I experienced with Cingular, they insisted they could not rectify it.... #argue#

They insisted that I need to pay the outstanding amount before any action would be taken on the matter. I explained that it was not acceptable and that my situation needs to be corrected, (as stated in previous posts here)... #shootme#

They wouldn't budge, so I said fine and hung up. I then copied all of my info off the phone, and turned it off...for good. I was still getting billed for the remaining contract, but hell with Cingular. Their bills go into the trash. They even sent me a notice stating my service would be halted unless payment is received. Hell...I haven't picked up their crappy phone in months...

I went with Verizon and use them now. Not completely satisfied 100%, (is any cell phone comapny 100%?), but customer service is good and I get less dropped calls.

Anyone considering Cingular is well adives to look somewhere else. Such a moronic way to do business...

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Is this the world's best cell phone?

A very, very basic GSM handset that handles incoming and outgoing calls as well as SMS messages, the C116 is sold all over the, except for the United States. It's too cheap!

I learned about the C100 series of phones while covering 3GSM in Barcelona, Spain last month. The C116 that I've been testing is one of the basic new phones that fit into a new category called Ultra-Low Cost Handsets.

These phones are being targeted at emerging markets areas that have no phone service of any kind. Instead of spending billions to run wires everywhere in the world, cellular phones are now seen as the solution to bringing telephone communications to everyone on the planet and at prices they can afford.

The candy bar-sized handsets are currently being sold in places like Algeria and India. Prices run approximately $39 for the phone with no service contract needed to subsidize paying for the phone — or any obligation to buy minutes.

I got to see the C113 and C113a handsets in Barcelona. Very small and very cute. They work in nearly every country on the planet ; except for the United States. Our GSM phones use different frequencies.

I immediately asked the Motorola people if I could try one the next time I'm in Europe. They said: "Why wait?" It turns out that Motorola makes these phone for use on our frequencies, too. A few days after returning home to New York I received a very small package.

Inside was a C116a. I couldnt wait to slip my SIM card inside and see what it could do. Ive been using it ever since. This is one great phone.

It measures less than 4 by 2 by 1 inches and weighs in at less than 3 ounces. It's barely there. The plain black and white screen tells you what you need to know about making a phone call and sending/receiving SMS messages. Nothing more, nothing less.

Five days without a recharge.
The C155 model comes with a color screen, but since I wanted maximum battery life I asked for the monochrome model.

That was a good thing, because the thin battery in this phone lasted five full days before needing a recharge. Im not exaggerating. It’s the most I’ve ever gotten out of a cell phone rivaling some of the Palm PDAs of the past. I'm not a heavy user, but I make or receive a dozen or so calls a day. The rest of the time the phone lived in my pocket.

Full interesting story here: www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11876379

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Man...I hate Cell phone companies...

This little device is worth looking into.

[Maddad]

My cell phone used to last eight days between rechages back when I got it 30 months ago in August. Today it lasts about two days.

Joe, about Cingular. You can play hardball with them. Go down to you local town hall and get a small claims form. Fill it out and photo copy it. You'll be suing them for the $200 on the contract they're demanding, plus your filing costs. You're suing them because their demand damages your credit rating.

It's a dirty game, but somebody's got to play it. Cingular will not fight the case because it would cost them far more than just caving in. Good luck Joe. I don't really like the goobers either.

[Maddad]

Small explanation. Mail them the photo copy, and ask if they want you to file. Tell them that you will be willing not to file if they drop their charges. You might also tell them that you won't tell the newspapers, but their screaming might hurt your ears.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

How To Tell If Your Cell Phone Is Bugged

Want to make sure that your phone is really off? Taking out the battery is a really good bet. Don't worry about the stories of hidden batteries that supposedly can be activated remotely or with special codes. The concept makes no sense in general, and there just isn't room in modern cell phones for additional batteries that could supply more than a tiny bit of added power, if any (e.g., enough juice to keep phones' internal clocks going during main battery replacements, but nowhere near enough to be practical for transmitting purposes).

But if your battery seems to be running out of juice far too early (despite what the battery status display might claim), that might be an indication that your phone is being used to transmit behind your back (or it might be a worn out battery and a typically inaccurate battery status display).

Another clue that a phone may have been transmitting without your permission is if it seems unexpectedly warm. You've probably noticed how most cell phones heat up, especially on longer calls. This is normal, but if you haven't been on any calls for a while and your cell phone is warm as if long calls were in progress, you have another red flag indication of something odd perhaps going on.

Finally, if you use a GSM phone (like the vast majority of phones around the world, including Cingular and T-Mobile in the U.S.) you have a virtually foolproof way to know if you phone is secretly transmitting in voice mode. You've probably noticed the "buzzing" interference that these phones tend to make in nearby speakers when calls or data transmissions are in progress. A certain amount of periodic routine communications between cell phones and the networks will occur while the phones are powered on -- even when calls are not in progress -- so short bursts of buzzing between calls (and when turning the phones on or off) are normal.

But if you're not on a call, and you hear a continuing rapid buzz-buzz-buzz in nearby speakers that lasts more than a few seconds and gets louder as you approach with your phone, well, the odds are that your phone is busily transmitting, and bugging is a definite possibility. Note that this particular test is much less reliable with non-GSM phones that use CDMA (e.g. Sprint/Verizon phones), since CDMA's technology is less prone to producing easily audible local interference. This strongly suggests that CDMA phones may be preferred for such bugging operations. A variant form of CDMA (called "WCDMA") can be used for the high speed data channel and voice calls on the new 3G GSM backwards-compatible phones. Since additional voice channels could theoretically be encoded onto that data stream as I mentioned above -- which would be harder to detect via interference than an ordinary GSM voice channel -- this is a technology that will bear watching.

More here: lauren.vortex.com/archive/000202.html

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Now, I'm not saying that my phone is bugged, but I have noticed both my battery running low and my cell warm to the touch on seperate and different occasions, in where it was not used for a spell.

Hmmmm...